66 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext
66 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext
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ANGELS & DEMONS
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The Western religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
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have all accepted the belief that there is, between God and
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mankind, a class of intermediary beings called angels. The word angel
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comes from the Greek word angelos, meaning "messenger." Angels are
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considered to be bodiless minds or spirits who perform various
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services for God or for people on God's behalf.
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Angels are good spirits. They have their counterpart in demons, or
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evil spirits. The word demon is derived from the Greek word daimon,
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meaning basically any supernatural being or spirit. Belief in spirits
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of all kinds was quite prevalent in the ancient world. But when
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Christianity appeared, nearly 2,000 years ago, it condemned belief in
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such spirits and assigned them the name demon. Ever since, demons have
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been thought of as evil spirits.
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The origins of belief in angels and demons can be traced to the
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ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. Followers of the prophet
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Zoroaster believed that there were two supreme beings, one good and
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the other evil. The good one, Ahura Mazda, was served by angels; the
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evil one, Ahriman, had demon helpers. Zoroastrians referred to demons
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as daevas, hence the word devil. Belief in good and evil spirits
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worked its way into Judaism and later into the religions of
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Christianity and Islam.
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Angels are frequently mentioned in the Bible, mostly in the role of
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messengers from God to mankind. Their appearances on Earth seem to
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have been in human form. In the Old Testament books of Job, Ezekiel,
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and Daniel, as well as in the Apocryphal book of Tobit, angels play
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significant roles. In the Book of Job the leading demon, Satan, is
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also introduced. But it is not until the New Testament that Satan is
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portrayed, under the name Lucifer, as the first of the fallen
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angels--the angels that rebelled against God.
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In the New Testament, angels are present at all the important events
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in the life of Jesus, from his birth to the Resurrection. In the very
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dramatic Book of Revelation, angels are portrayed as the agents of God
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in bringing judgment upon the world. Other New Testament writers also
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speak of angels. St. Paul especially takes note of them by assigning
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them ranks. He lists seven groups: angels, archangels, principalities,
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powers, virtues, dominions, and thrones. The Old Testament had spoken
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of only two orders: cherubim and seraphim. Early Christianity accepted
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all nine ranks and in the course of time developed extensive doctrines
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about both angels and demons. The latter were conceived of as Satan's
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legions, sent out to lure mankind away from belief in God. Angels and
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demons play similar roles in Islam and are often mentioned in its holy
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book, the Koran.
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Belief in supernatural spirits has not been limited to the major
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Western religions. In the preliterate societies of Africa, Oceania,
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Asia, and the Americas, spirits were thought to inhabit the whole
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natural world. These spirits could act either for good or
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for evil, and so there was no division between them as there has
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been between angels and demons. The power of these spirits is called
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mana, which can be either helpful or hurtful to people.
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Fascination with angels and demons has led to their frequent depiction
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in works of art and literature. The paintings, stained glass, mosaics,
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and sculptures of the Middle Ages and Renaissance are especially
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replete with figures of both. In John Milton's long poem 'Paradise
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Lost' (1667), Satan himself is a main character; and the angels
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Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael play prominent roles. In Dante's 'Divine
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Comedy' (1321?) angels appear as both messengers and guardians, and
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Satan is vividly portrayed frozen in a block of ice.
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